Ore-sama's Bratty Counterpart
by Jahnne Leeh
Summary: AU – Meet Ryoma, Atobe Keigo's six year old brother. He is quiet but as arrogant as his older brother, loves his cat and ponta, and his favorite word seems to be "yada".
1. Chapter 1

AN: I decided to write this in a new account since I always read about Tezuka being Ryoma's older brother. I love that kind of story too but I wanted to take it at a different angle this time. Many had already commented before how Ryoma and Atobe were almost similar in terms of arrogance, so yeah, I decided to try this one out.

Enjoy.

**OooOoOooO**

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Chapter One

"What? But the Interschool Practice–"

There was an exasperated sigh at the other line at his demanding tone.

"_Keigo, just this once, alright? This is a very important investment for the company and you know we can't just leave your brother's welfare to some nameless stranger to take care of him. Would you rather we do–_"

"Of course not!" He squawked indignantly with a bit of incredulity. "But we have Neil and Catherina! They're not some nameless strangers, I grew up with them."

"_Catherina is in New York right now, taking care of that penthouse your father had set up for us this coming vacation. And you know Neil is old, as much as we trust him, he may not be able to handle your brother. You know how he is. Or maybe we can leave him with your uncle? I haven't seen brother for–_"

"No," Keigo cut her off rather brusquely with a terse voice. "I will never leave my brother to that lunatic's clutches, _never_." He stated decisively with the slightest bit of contempt.

There was laughter that could be heard from the other line and he slightly scowled.

Uncle Nanjirou was downright insane. Keigo would never even think of leaving his impressionable six year old brother with that man. Didn't his mother remember that his uncle was a notorious pervert and proud of it? He would fight tooth and nail before letting the unthinkable happen.

"_He has Rinko-chan to keep him in line,_" The amused voice of his mother reminded him. "_But, is that an agreement I hear?_" She teased lightly and Keigo could just hear the triumphant grin in her voice.

"Do I have a choice?" He spat out rather bitterly with a touch of defeat.

"_Keigo,_" His mother sighed exasperatedly. "_Just this once, alright, sweetie? Besides, your brother misses you. You haven't seen each other for two months. We promise we'll make it up to you this Christmas. But your father and I can't think of anyone else to look after him this time and you _are_ Ryoma's older brother._" She told him sincerely with a bit of guilt.

But he also knew that his mother was using the pity card to finally make him give in. Keigo frowned since he knew he _had_ already caved in to his mother's wishes when she talked to him like that.

"Fine," Keigo grunted and knew that he already lost. "But I will have to bring him with me during the Interschool Practice this upcoming week. _Ore-sama_ can't leave his brother to the servants of this house. Ryoma will just have to watch him dominate the court." He continued pompously with a smirk.

The woman giggled from the other line.

"_Ryoma would love to,_" She prompted happily. "_Goodness, you two may both dislike your uncle but he has influenced you well in his obsession._"

"What? It isn't because of him!" Keigo responded huffily. "I am already fascinated with the sport before I even met him,"

"_Fine, fine,_" She laughed at him amusedly. "_But thank you for agreeing to this, Keigo. I promise that we'll make it up to you after we finish dealing with this investment. Your father sends his regards to you, by the way._"

"Of course," He waved his hand in dismissal, even if his mother couldn't see it. "When's the brat arriving?" He questioned nonchalantly.

"_In two days, we let him bring his cat with him._" She shared as she obviously tried to smother a giggle. "_Take care of him, Keigo. You know how your brother is. You're both too alike sometimes for your father's peace of mind._"

His eyebrow twitched.

"I will, mother." Keigo deadpanned. "I'll take care of him. This is _Ore-sama _you're talking about!" He declared arrogantly.

"_I know, I know,_" She sighed again but with a bit of longing this time. "_I have to go, sweetie, I'll call again next time to check on you two. Love you, sweetheart._"

He rolled his eyes exasperatedly.

"Of course,"

And he hung up. Seriously, his mother _always_ babied him. He was just glad that his brother received the most of it for being the youngest. Speaking of the brat, Keigo silently contemplated how he was going to bully his teammates into helping out in babysitting his brother – for there was no other term for it, no matter what his mother said – and surviving through the other school's scrutiny for bringing the tiny brat with him.

Though, his mother was right, his brother was too much like him for _Keigo's_ peace of mind.

**O.o.O**

"Atobe?" Yuushi called as he, along with Kabaji and Shishido, watched their captain pace in his large living room. This had been the first time they had truly seen Atobe disconcerted since the teen tended to act as narcissistic as possible to feign nonchalance. In fact, Atobe had ordered them to come to his mansion instead of attending school to commence their tennis practice. They were waiting for the others to arrive and they were currently looking at said captain as he worked himself up into agitation.

"Quiet, Oshitari," Atobe hissed in order as he paced further.

"But why the hell did you call us here?" Shishido questioned impatiently as he glared at Atobe.

There was a tense silence as Atobe stopped his incessant pacing.

Before he whirled on them.

The teen opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by the curt knock on the door to the living room. All of them faced the doorway as the old butler of the mansion entered courteously, bowing his head slightly at Atobe as he did so.

"Young master," The butler cleared his throat slightly. "Your brother has arrived," He informed Atobe.

Yuushi and Shishido's eyes widened as they stared at their captain while Kabaji noticeably brightened. Yuushi narrowed his eyes as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, eyeing Atobe contemplatively. He didn't know about his other teammates, but he had already met Atobe's brother.

"What are you waiting for?" Atobe suddenly demanded with a haughty glare. "Send him in! Don't make Ore-sama's brother wait any longer!"

"Of course," The butler bowed once again before exiting the room.

"You didn't tell me that your brother's already in Japan? I thought he was with your parents," Yuushi merely commented as he stared at Atobe who was eyeing the door expectantly.

"Mother decided that I should watch over him," Atobe merely replied sullenly and Yuushi understood.

"_You_ have a brother?" Shishido questioned incredulously as he stared at the captain with disbelief while Hyoutei's tensai could comprehend the reaction – meeting Atobe junior hadn't exactly been a walk to the park either.

Atobe sniffed as he glared at the other contemptuously.

"What's that supposed to _mean_?" He asked suspiciously at the skeptism.

Before Shishido could retort scathingly, the door to the room banged open and the other occupants – saved for Kabaji – jumped in surprise. Round, hazel eyes roamed the room before landing on Atobe. A short kid eyed them curiously and blinked. He was dressed in a loose silk red shirt and black knee-length shorts, a white cap that was facing sideways, a can of grape ponta in his small hands where he was drinking from a straw, and the most amusing sight was the cat curiously poking its head out from his backpack.

The kid merely raised a small hand in Atobe's direction in greeting, still sipping his soda from a straw.

"What did Ore-sama tell you?" Atobe hissed as he strode to the younger boy who was unfazed at the annoyed expression. "Do not barge in his business unannounced!"

But the boy just continued to sip his drink.

"Well?"

"Mom told you to expect me," The kid shrugged unrepentantly. "And Richard did tell you I'm already here,"

"Say that again?" Atobe's eyebrow twitched as he crouched down to the boy's eyelevel.

But the boy smirked.

"Yada," He stated childishly.

Unexpectedly, on Yuushi and Shishido's part, Atobe smirked back and roughly ruffled the boy's dark green-tinted locks almost affectionately – making Shishido eyeball Atobe with astonishment and a little awe. The boy merely scowled and swatted away the teen's hand with irritation.

"You're still an insufferable brat," Atobe remarked dryly.

"And you're still a monkey king, nii-san." The boy merely retorted smugly.

Yuushi saw Shishido grin, as if he decided he liked the younger boy, which he knew would change after getting to know him. He was _Atobe_ junior, after all.

Atobe's eyebrow twitched again as he ruffled the boy's hair with too much force than necessary.

"Didn't I tell you to _stop_ calling me with that plebeian nickname?" The teen asked almost sweetly with a hidden threat behind his words while the other danced out of his reach.

"Yada," The younger boy deadpanned at him before continuing to sip his drink.

Yuushi decided to step in.

"It's been a while, Ryoma-kun," He stated as he stepped forward to make himself be noticed to the boy.

The boy – Atobe Ryoma – eyed him with wide hazel eyes. Of course, the last time they met, the boy had been merely five and more troublesome than Atobe in a good day. Yuushi wondered how Gakuto would fair in meeting this boy, seeing as he wasn't fond of teenaged Atobe. At the thought, suddenly, the reason they had been called here – the tennis team regulars – was very clear and Yuushi stared at his captain with dread.

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_Please leave a review first!_


	2. Chapter 2

**AN**: Thank you for the wonderful reviews. This one had really inspired me and reading fics about Tezuka being Ryoma's older brother made my imagination come up with this. I really like Hyoutei and especially Atobe Keigo and wondered what if Ryoma was Keigo's brother instead? They're both arrogant and good in tennis, and didn't like losing either. I will try to update as quickly but I won't promise anything.

I won't be focusing on romance though - just the humor, family, and friendship.

**OooOoOooO**

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Chapter Two

Keigo stared at the six year old boy who looked at Oshitari confusedly.

He refrained from sighing out loud at the familiar gesture. As bright as his brother was at a very young age, he tended to have a selective memory and promptly forgot things or people that annoyed or disinterested him. Much like himself, really, though Keigo always kept in mind the people who irritated him. Oshitari had fallen at the category of people who had annoyed his little brother before and the boy had then promptly disregarded ever meeting Hyoutei's tensai.

"Anou," Ryoma frowned as he squinted at Oshitari before facing Keigo. "Nii-san, why does he know me?" He questioned rather bluntly with a touch of seriousness.

If it wasn't for the absurdity of the question itself, Keigo might have found it hilarious. But he did find Oshitari's pensive expression to be amusing.

So instead, Keigo merely patted his brother's head indulgently. As much fun as it was to make his brother stew on the mystery of how his teammate knew him, Keigo knew that Oshitari wouldn't appreciate it. Not that he cared, but if he was going to rope in his fellow regulars into looking after this brat, then small mercies could be granted.

"You met him before, brat," Keigo informed the six year old who stared back at him blankly. "His name is Oshitari Yuushi and he was the one who replaced your ponta with chocolate milk during the New Year's Eve Ball," He barely stopped himself from smirking outright as he recalled the incident during the party that his parents had hosted with the other families during New Year.

Ryoma continued to stare at him blankly as he sipped his drink from a straw.

Then, his nose wrinkled in a mix of annoyance, disgust, and a little horror.

"Four eyes," Ryoma breathed out as he stared at Oshitari apprehensively – as if the tensai had threatened his cat – and shifted closer to Keigo, his grip on his can of grape ponta noticeably tightening.

Oshitari ceased whatever comment he was about to say and merely stared at the boy piercingly for the nickname.

Unsurprisingly on Keigo's part, his brother returned the look boldly and recklessly like any other children.

"At least, have the decency to greet a guest, brat," Keigo reminded a little sternly and lightly pinched Ryoma's cheek in warning, really, why couldn't his brother at least bother to remember his manners? It would make things much easier.

"Yada," Ryoma instantly responded with a scowl – which looked more of a pout – as he stubbornly shook his head.

"Oi, look here, you _brat_–" He tightened his pinching over his brother's cheek but Ryoma just pulled away with surprising strength as he ran around Keigo's crouched form.

"Yada!" The six year old boy yelled as he ran and hid behind Kabaji's legs.

"Bring him here, Kabaji!" Keigo ordered haughtily at the taller boy.

Ryoma cautiously poked his head out as one of his hands gripped on Kabaji's trousers.

"Don't listen to monkey king, Kabaji-san," Ryoma stated quietly as he tightened his hold and at the sudden meekness of his voice, most would have believed he was intimidated if it wasn't for the mischievous glint of his wide hazel eyes.

And for the first time – unlike in Ryoma, Keigo, and Kabaji's part – the taller boy shook his head and _refused_ Keigo. Kabaji just patted Ryoma's head gently.

The situation wasn't helped with the six year old triumphantly smirking at an annoyed Keigo.

"D-Did he just do what I think he just did?" Shishido quietly questioned Oshitari with disbelief who was eyeing the scene in front of him with wry exasperation as if he should've known.

"He did," Oshitari calmly answered as if there was nothing peculiar about it.

Keigo frowned as something furry brushed against his ankle and looked down to see his brother's white Himalayan cat with brown spots for face and paws brushing itself against his leg. Gingerly picking up the cat, he stood up and turned to face his brother. The insufferable brat had the nerve to look at him smugly and Keigo quelled the urge of wanting to throttle his brother. It wouldn't be a well-received image after all if he were to strangle a six year old over something as petty as this.

"Okay, brat," He started haughtily as he straightened. "New rules – mother said that Ore-sama would be looking after you. And his teammates would be helping him so be a good boy and be _polite_. The one with Oshitari is called Shishido Ryou but call him whatever you prefer. And get used to the faces that you will get to see this upcoming week–"

"Hey! What the hell?" Shishido interjected indignantly as he glared at Keigo. "I never agreed to this! And why would I even agree in the first place?"

"Because Ore-sama said so," Keigo sniffed huffily as he returned the glare darkly. "I'm your captain so you'll have to do as I say." He declared decisively and with a brilliant touch of arrogance that made Oshitari cringe.

"Why you–"

"Yare, yare, quite the temper there, Shishido-san." A drawling voice commented, still thick with sleep, as Akutagawa Jirou came slouching into the room. It was quite obvious that he had just been back from his impromptu nap just as Mukahi Gakuto, Ootori Choutarou, and Hiyoshi Wakashi came trotting behind him.

"Mou, who's the brat, Atobe?" Gakuto questioned as he raised an eyebrow at the curious Ryoma who was now openly staring beside Kabaji.

"What seems to be the problem here, senpai?" Ootori asked as he looked at the strained faces of Shishido and Oshitari.

Instead of answering, Keigo turned to face his little brother with beckoning eyes.

"Brat, come here," He ordered tightly as he waved the boy over. "And meet Ore-sama's teammates,"

Ryoma looked to be on the verge of refusing but there must have been something in Keigo's eyes to make the little boy change his mind. So, Ryoma reluctantly trudged to his brother's side and eyed the other Hyoutei regulars warily. Then his eyes shifted from the seething Shishido to the interested Gakuto.

"Are girls allowed on the boys' team?" Ryoma queried with befuddlement as his round hazel eyes lingered on the redhead's form.

Fortunately for the six year old, Hiyoshi and Ootori were quick to hold a raging Gakuto back from simply strangling the boy right then and there. Jirou burst out laughing while Oshitari's lips were twitching treacherously. Shishido's frown faded but he still looked annoyed and Atobe smirked rather amusedly.

"You _infuriating _little brat! Who the hell are you? When I get my hands on you–"

"Mukahi-senpai, calm down–" Ootori hissed out urgently as he held back the seething and thrashing redhead with difficulty.

"He's my brother," Keigo finally revealed with a great semblance of amusement.

Gakuto stopped his struggling in shock.

"Atobe-san's otouto?" Ootori questioned with interest as he eyed the little boy beside his captain.

"_You_ have a brother?" Hiyoshi repeated Shishido's question earlier, but instead of disbelief, there was fascination in his voice.

Jirou blinked sleepily but his eyes steadily widened as the words sunk in.

Shishido looked satisfied as if his earlier reaction was justified while Oshitari sighed and shook his head in exasperation.

"What is that supposed to _mean_?" Keigo's eyebrow twitched at the skeptism of his teammates. Petting the Himalayan cat in his arms, Keigo tilted his head towards Ryoma. "Meet Ore-sama's little brother, _Atobe Ryoma_,"

"Yo," The six year old boy merely deadpanned as he nonchalantly sipped his ponta from a straw.

Gakuto stared at Ryoma, then at Keigo, then at Ryoma again for a few moments before bursting out into raucous laughter.

**O.o.O**

There was a time when Atobe Keigo had been extremely shocked for the first time in his life that had nothing to do with tennis. Well, mostly.

He was thirteen and his little brother had been four years old. No matter how much their mother had tried, Ryoma had been inseparable with his Ponta the moment it had been introduced to him at three years old by a clueless Nanjirou. And their father was too indulgent to even think of refusing his youngest when it came to purchasing several boxes of the drinks. Keigo even remembered that the man had bought a new refrigerator just for the brat's new obsession.

And the worst thing had been when his brother refused to share even a single can. Ryoma would throw a fit if he discovered that his older brother even picked up a single can from his stash. And the boy had the uncanny ability of knowing when Keigo did.

It had been when he had arrived home with a victorious aura around him – after all, he had managed to declare himself as the _King_ of Hyoutei's tennis club – when the shocking event had happened. Keigo had smugly pranced around the mansion and even ordered the cooks to create a feast to celebrate his win. Of course, he had annoyed his brother while he was at it by irritating his pet cat, Karupin, just to relish the triumphant feeling. And annoying his brother always did make him feel pleasant.

Their parents, as usual, had been out of the country again for a business trip which left Keigo with his little brother at dinner to gloat his victory.

"You should've seen Ore-sama defeat those plebeians who call themselves tennis players–" He prattled on and on as the glorious feeling had yet to go away, not caring in the least that the little brat refused to even bat an eye in his direction as always.

But he had been speechless as Ryoma handed him a can of ponta at the end of dinner.

"Wha–? You're giving Ore-sama–" He stuttered out in shock.

When he had said that his brother never shared his ponta, Keigo absolutely meant it. And to think that the four year old was handing him a can – albeit reluctantly – as a congratulatory gift really surprised him. Was this the how older brothers usually felt when their brothers started to finally look up to them? His friends from England had said so, if you ignored the little bit about how they were the most annoying creatures to older brothers.

"Urusai!" Ryoma cut in petulantly. "And… congrats," He mumbled quietly.

He would never admit it but Keigo had been rather touched at the gesture as he gently received his 'gift'.

Of course, after the initial shock, Keigo should have known that his brother was always up to no good. Especially after he had annoyed said brat's cat. Sometimes, he rather thought that Ryoma liked Karupin more than he liked his older brother. And it aggravated Keigo very much more than he cared to admit.

Keigo should have really watched his little brother's expression as he slowly opened the can. Ryoma's smirk had been too gleeful and his round hazel eyes were too anticipating.

So he had squawked in surprise when grape soda unsuspectingly came spraying out of the can uncontrollably, soaking his face and even his favorite lavender silk shirt in the process. The diabolical little brat must have shaken the can so hard that it had built pressure!

With the area below his eye twitching, Keigo turned to face the smug demon with murder in his dark eyes.

"Congrats," The boy repeated with innocence. "I hope you like the surprise, nii-san. Mada mada," Ryoma taunted arrogantly, words almost similar to the ones their uncle used when taunting the brothers.

"You conniving, little demon–"

"Here's my gift," Ryoma cut in instead as he climbed down his seat, crawling under the table and pulling out a familiarly shaped present wrapped in purple wrappings. "Dad helped me to get this custom made for you," He handed the gift to a speechless and soaked Atobe Keigo.

And as Keigo removed the wrappings and saw the purple-tinted rimmed tennis racket made in extremely light and durable materials – he was extremely shocked.

He and his brother always argued, still close as siblings could be, but never too open about their sentiments on the matter (Ryoma learned to cope).

It didn't matter if his favorite shirt was soaked and that his brother had just pranked him. Keigo just couldn't let his eyes stray away from the name engraved by the handle – _Atobe Keigo _– and gripped the racket with awed reverence. That his brother bothered to get their father to have this created at all was already astounding by itself.

But he was Atobe Keigo, and brothers or not, he would still not admit it.

"Better than the other ones," He merely commented and ignored the sullen look his brother gave him. But judging from the curious and bright hazel eyes, no offense was taken.

**O.o.O**

"They're really nii-san's teammates? No wonder he's a monkey king," Ryoma commented as he stood beside Kabaji with wide hazel eyes, watching the ruckus that the other Hyoutei regulars were currently causing with his brother in the lead.

"Usu," Kabaji merely responded as he patted the six year old's head once again.

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_Please leave a review!_


	3. Chapter 3: Part I

**OooOoOooO**

**AN**: Sorry for the extremely late update! But examinations are coming up and my laptops been full of reports and essays recently. And this is kind of short but I wanted to post this to make others know that I am not giving up on this. Maybe in the next two weeks, I'll try to update as soon as I can. Thank you for the heartwarming reviews everyone! May you enjoy this chapter as well!

_~0~_

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Chapter Three: Part I

"_Really? Your brother has never been fond of other animals aside from Karupin. Why would you even suggest the zoo?_" His mother questioned with amusement and the slightest curiosity in her too-cheerful-for-his-liking voice.

"Well? What do you want me to do?" Keigo complained almost petulantly. "Kids are supposed to like those places."

"_But dear, Ryoma isn't like other children._" His mother laughed softly. "_So, you went to the mall and met your friends from the tennis club. Then, what happened?_" She asked eagerly and Keigo wouldn't be surprised if she was somehow recording their conversation.

"The brat was being his usual bratty self, what did you expect? And he _still_ won't learn his manners." He huffed at the reminder, voice almost wry.

"_He was spoiled too much,_" She defended herself unconvincingly. "_And you were exactly like that when you were his age._"

"M-Me?" Keigo sputtered out indignantly in shock. "Ore-sama was certainly nothing like that brat!"

"_Alright, alright, I get it,_" He could just imagine her rolling her eyes, her tone sounding as if she didn't even believe him. "_Continue where you left off, what happened next? Did Ryoma enjoy his first visit to the mall?_" She pushed through persistently.

"I wouldn't call getting lost as a very enjoyable experience if you ask me," He responded dryly.

"_You lost your_–" Her tone now gained a terse edge.

His eyes widened in alarm.

"It isn't my fault!" Keigo immediately exclaimed.

"_Explain_."

**O.o.O**

"What are we doing here, Atobe-san?" Choutarou asked hesitantly as he looked at his captain questioningly.

Atobe's eyebrow twitched at the inquiry just as the curious golden eyes of his brother gazed around their surroundings with fascination. Well, if Choutarou had to guess, the boy had never been personally here before seeing as their parents must have personal designers hired for the both of them. And Atobe never made it a secret, anyways. So it was a bit unusual when their vain captain had called for them to meet at a mall.

"Mother has tasked me to take the brat around," The older teen answered with a tight smile. "And he chose the mall for some reason when we could have–"

"I hate Wendy-san," Ryoma interjected with a small glare up at his brother. "She pinches my cheeks too much and always treats me like a… a _teddy bear_! And what am I supposed to do in a _zoo_? We can always tell the old man to buy us what we want from there." He crossed his little arms in a visible act of defiance and Choutarou found it cute.

The silver haired teen had been the first to arrive and spot the brothers by the café by the entrance of the mall. But he couldn't help but sweatdrop at how Atobe Junior seemed to have inherited his older brother's attitude in terms of their wealth. No surprises there, the two must have been spoiled at a very young age. Especially young Ryoma at the tender age of six. At least, the six year old wasn't as boisterous as his captain about it.

"Aren't children supposed to like those kinds of place?" Atobe retorted indignantly as he returned his brother's glare. "How am I supposed to know you'd like walking around a shopping building filled with cheap things?"

"It's a zoo, nii-san," Ryoma deadpanned as if it was as simple as that. "Why should I care to watch how monkeys sleep there? And I like the mall because there are a lot of stops to choose from." He stuck out his tongue in a dry manner that had Atobe obviously fuming.

"Anou, Atobe-san," Choutarou interjected quickly before it escalated into having his captain harming the boy. "I understand that it is your duty to take care of Ryoma-kun… But why have we been called here as well?" He inquired patiently but honestly didn't mind if the answer turned out to be his suspicion. Ryoma was easier to get along with than other children and he always had a soft spot for them.

The same couldn't be said for the others though.

"Isn't it obvious?" Atobe gestured to the tennis bag slung on their shoulders. "After we accompany my dear brother, we will be commencing practice back at school. Just because we have to watch over the brat doesn't mean we have to neglect practice, especially with the Interschool Practice in four days. We can't let ourselves fall behind." The captain answered with flourish as he flipped his hair with a smirk.

Now that he thought about it, Atobe did ask them to bring their tennis equipments. Choutarou had thought that the captain had only told them that to bait them into helping him watch over the little six year old boy. There were times when Choutarou forgot that Atobe was his captain first and foremost.

"I'll watch," Ryoma added resolutely with a determined stare – his gaze alone saying that he wasn't backing out of his decision.

"Do I exactly have a choice?" Choutarou could have sworn that Atobe had grumbled. "I can't let the servants watch over you when Richard is out and taking care of some business in Hokkaido. And I did give my word to mother." Atobe's dark eyes narrowed at Ryoma as he said this.

Ryoma frowned but shrugged as he adjusted the straps of his backpack and Choutarou thought he saw a furry ear poking out of the bag's opening.

"Have you eaten breakfast yet, Ryoma-kun?" Choutarou asked the boy kindly with a smile. "We could order some pancakes in this café. Or you could have the standard western breakfast." He continued as he looked at the contemplative boy.

For a moment, the boy ignored him before turning to him with a hesitant frown.

"Can't we have Japanese?" Ryoma asked quietly as he fiddled with his white cap. "We always have western breakfast at home," His voice gained the slightest bit of irritation as he glared at the silent Atobe.

"Oh," Choutarou responded with a little confusion. "We could always go to a local Japanese restaurant near the café," He had thought that growing up mostly in European countries and America would make Ryoma prefer western cooking. It seemed that the boy was more Japanese than his older brother.

The boy suddenly gave Choutarou a very haughty look. The silver haired teen thought that it was too much like Atobe's when demanding something.

"Well? Where is it?" Ryoma questioned impatiently as he frowned.

"Show some manners, brat," Atobe interjected as he lightly flicked the six year old on the forehead with his forefinger. "Ootori is already kind enough to show you to this place, least you could do is to thank him." He mocked patronizingly with sharp eyes.

"There's no need for it, Atobe-san–" Choutarou tried to placate kindly with a nervous laugh.

"_Thank you_," Ryoma cut him off, words barely audible and spoken in English fluently, as he ducked his head to hide his scowl.

Choutarou noticed the slight surprise in Atobe's expression and deduced that his captain's little brother rarely ever showed gratitude to other people. But he also couldn't deny the pleased gleam in the other teen's eyes.

"You're welcome, Ryoma-kun," Choutarou smiled warmly. "Come on, let's go to the restaurant while it isn't crowded yet. And we can tell the others to go there,"

Round hazel eyes scrutinized him for a moment before nodding.

**O.o.O**

"_Your brother always complained about the western cooking,_" His mother commented thoughtfully. "_I might have to call in Rinko-chan there if Ryoma really doesn't like it._"

"As long as my aunt doesn't bring _that_ pervert with her, I don't have any problem about it," Keigo conceded reluctantly. Not because he disliked Rinko, he honestly liked her fiery and warm personality, but Nanjirou tended to tag along whenever she visited the family.

"_Jirou-kun will behave, I'll make sure of it,_" The woman vowed resolutely. "_And it's certainly nice of your friend to consider Ryoma. Most teenagers are easily annoyed with kids, you know? And, loathe as I am to admit it, your brother isn't so easy to get along with,_" She sighed exasperatedly with a hint of fondness.

"So, you _did_ admit it eventually," He smirked to himself in silent triumph. "And Ootori's nice to everyone he meets that it doesn't surprise me to know he's good with brattlings."

"_He does tolerate you, hn?_" She teased lightly. "_But it still doesn't explain how you lost your brother,_"

"Well, if you would just let me finish, then we could just get over it and be done with it," He deadpanned at her wryly.

There was a pause and Keigo knew that she was mocking him by making him wait longer. Seriously, if he didn't have any manners, like a certain brat, he might have hung up on her already. But she's his mother and no matter what annoyance he felt, he always respected her.

"Mother–" He intoned impatiently.

"_Go on, go on,_" She finally conceded with a giggle that made him sigh.

**O.o.O**

"Atobe?" A surprised voice murmured and the three looked up to see Sanada Genichirou standing by a table adjacent to theirs.

Ryoma saw his older brother smirk, the same way he always did when talking about his obsession of defeating a tennis player named Tezuka Kunimitsu. But Keigo had told him that the Tezuka guy wore glasses and this person didn't have any near his eyes. That, or he always had that expression when talking about people whom he considered as rivals. This guy must also be a tennis player but Ryoma wasn't really sure.

"Ah, Sanada, fancy meeting you here," His older brother remarked blithely with a raised eyebrow, so different from his always irritable persona when around Ryoma. The six year old had to wonder if his brother always acted so differently to other people that was not part of their family.

"The same could be said to you," The other teen – Sanada – retorted calmly with sharp eyes.

"Ore-sama just felt a sudden craving for Japanese cuisine," Keigo replied back arrogantly with a flip of his hair. Ryoma rolled his eyes. It was just so typical of his brother to act as if everything had been done in his honor. And they called _Ryoma_ spoiled, they should meet his older sibling.

"Anou, Atobe-san, weren't we here because of Ryoma-kun?" Ootori-san hesitantly questioned with a confused look.

That was why Ryoma decided that he liked this Ootori Choutarou character. He always listened to what Ryoma had to say, didn't treat him like a retarded kid, always had nice words to say (even to the monkey king), didn't mind his attitude, and obviously did _not_ succumb under his older brother's thumb and whim like some mindless monkey.

"Ootori," Sanada nodded to the silver haired teen before his eyes shifted to Ryoma. The six year old returned the stare evenly. He never had a problem in holding other people's gazes and this one was no different.

"Who's the boy?" The Rikkaidai Vice Captain finally asked as his eyes had yet to stray away.

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